Smoke

Matt Roush says...

Taron Egerton reunites with writer-executive producer Dennis Lehane (of the much more satisfying Apple TV+ crime drama Black Bird) for a psychologically deep but frustratingly sluggish drama about arson investigation that, ironically, is a bit too much of a slow-burner. Egerton stars as Dave Gudsen, an investigator who hopes to turn his obsession with flames and their aftermath into a best-seller (excerpts of which sound awful). He’s paired with aggressively ambitious local detective Michelle Calderone (Jussie Smollett, impressive), who like Dave has personal trauma associated with fires. Inspired by the podcast “Firebug,” Smoke takes an early twist that makes you only more impatient for showrunner Lehane to light a narrative fire. The Chi‘s Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine costars in a compelling subplot as Freddy, a soft-spoken fast-food worker whose dead-end life and deadpan demeanor plays into the trope that, as Dave explains, “Arsonists tend to be powerless in their own lives.” Launches with two episodes.

What's Worth Watching (Jun 27)